Author: Loyd Harp

Sev Statik (born Joseph Evans) is a hip-hop MC originally from Albany, NY. His credentials and discography run pretty deep. While most average listeners were first introduced to his music through his 2002 release on Uprok Recordings (a short-lived hip-hop label affiliated with Tooth & Nail Records), he had been active with Deepspace5 since 1996. The collective also included Labklik (featuring Listener), Ill Harmonics, and Mars Ill. Are you keeping up? To make matters even more confusing, Sev Statik has also recorded under the alias Stu Dent.… Continued →

The 90s was such an interesting decade for music in general, but for the Christian scene in particular. There was such a diversity of sounds and multiple genres exploding in all different directions from alternative to metal to punk to hardcore to hip-hop and electronica. Then even within each of these there was a multiplicity of subgenres all moving in different trajectories at the same time. It wasn’t uncommon to go to a gig in the 90s and see a ska band opening a show that also included indie rock and hardcore.… Continued →

After publicly calling it quits last year, 2Minute Minor decided to release one final EP. Due to family commitments, touring and playing live was no longer possible, so rather than keep the band going, they decided to end things. This is that final record. Interestingly former members Marko (on guitar) and Zach (on drums) both returned for the final recording, as well as having lead guitar contributions from none other than Bryan Gray (The Blamed, Left Out, Mortal, Six Feet Deep, et. al.) Mainstays Wiley (vocals), Bob (guitar), and Sean (bass) are back as well.… Continued →

The late, great Exeter Flud was an alternative rock from the Atlanta area, whose music danced around indie rock, emo, and shoegaze, but never fully committed to any of those. It’s not too surprising that the band had formal connections to other Georgia and Florida bands like Dear Ephesus, My Hotel Year, Vivian, and more. The roots of Exeter Flud were in Remnant, who released one brilliant 7″ single in 1995, “The Cloud/Dirge.” The songs were recorded while they were still in high school, and engineered by the masterful J.C.… Continued →

Let the debate be finished, and let this be the final word: Sister Rosetta Tharpe was the first Christian rock artist ever. Decades before Larry Norman, or even his English predecessors like The Crossbeats or The Pilgrims, Tharpe was writing and performing a new take on Gospel music, utilizing skillful guitar playing and innovating techniques that were used by hundreds of others after her. In fact, it is likely that Tharpe is not only the first Gospel rocker, but the first rock-and-roll artist period, with her early material being created as early as the late 1930s, more than a full decade before Bill Haley and the Comets released “Rock Around the Clock” or Chuck Berry was instructing Johnny on how to B.… Continued →

In the “I never thought that would happen” news department, official members of Tourniquet have reformed the band (sans drummer/composer Ted Kirkpatrick, RIP) recently for a few shows. Guy Ritter, Gary Lenaire, and Luke Easter are all currently performing together as Stop the Bleeding, as they don’t currently have legal rights to use “Tourniquet.” While not much is known about future plans, (and the band is being somewhat secretive) they are, however, playing a few upcoming shows of note. They’ll be playing in Sweden in March (with Extol’s David Husvik filling in on drums) and one in Versailles, OH at home of Immortal Fest, BMI Center, (with former Haste the Day drummer Devin Chaulk filling in).… Continued →

We continue our series in February of focusing on contributions to the Christian independent music scene from our black brothers and sisters for Black History Month. While heavy metal, and especially this form of ‘glam metal’ was dominated by people whose skin color resembles mine, Seventh Seal stood out from the crowd. They were a commercial metal band from Palmdale, California whose 5 members were all African American. Seventh Seal was truly an anomaly in this regard. While there are other heavy metal bands with black members, I can’t think of any others where the entire band was made up of black members *and* who played in this particular style.… Continued →

For the remaining weeks of February, I’ll be focusing on African-American contributions to independent Christian music, in celebration of Black History Month. Both rock and roll in general, and Christian rock/indie/whatever music owe a huge debt to the African-American experience. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to overstate this. Andrae Crouch is one of the most influential Gospel artists of all time. In fact, he has often been known as the “father of modern gospel music.” And while the connection between traditional Gospel music and Christian indie/punk rock might not be obvious, it’s not as distinct as one might think.… Continued →

This Ukrainian band started out as a semi-melodic black metal band, who later morphed into a thrash/death metal band, with a sound that worked a little better overall. After forming in 2003, in their hometown of Kremenchuk, they released a full-length album in 2007 in their native tongue. In 2008 Sullen Records issued an English language version of the album, which was entitled Evangelion. This pressing was on limited edition, hand-numbered CDr. The label re-issued the album yet again in 2010. In 2010, Australian label Soundmass (known for top-quality extreme metal releases) issued a follow-up release, the mini-album Death is Dead.… Continued →

It’s been a while since we’ve covered some grindcore here, so it seems like the right time. One of the most–if not the most–intense genres of metal and/or hardcore and/or noise (depending on which angle is taken), grindcore is generally an acquired taste and is more often than not a ‘love it or hate it’ genre with very little room for bystanders. Having emerged in the 1980s as an ever-increasingly intense subgenre of hardcore punk, it is generally characterized by ridiculously fast, and very short songs.… Continued →

The Remnants (not to be confused with Remnant, The Remnant, nor Remnant Militia) was a punk band originally formed in Alabama in the late 90s, but then transplanted to Chicago sometime in the 2000s, where they had a connection to JPUSA and Grrrr Records. The band was a part of a sort of hardcore punk revival that was taking place in the late 90s/early 00s, a movement that included bands like Headnoise, The Discarded, Combat Junkies and a handful of others. The band’s early material featured tried and true punk sounds (no pop-punk here) mixed with a raw rock and roll influence, drawing influences from the L.A.… Continued →

I love the old playful quote about the difference between knowledge and wisdom: Knowledge is knowing Frankenstein isn’t the monster. Wisdom is knowing Frankenstein is the monster! A similar thought could be applied to Norwegian band Royal: Knowledge is knowing Royal isn’t punk. Wisdom is know Royal is punk. If punk is about shedding notions of convention and rules, then Royal was as punk as they come. Royal blended genres like chefs blend fancy soups. They were simultaneously indie rock, jazz, post-hardcore, emo . . .… Continued →

We are grieving today with our friends in Roadside Monument and fans of the indie rock innovators. This sad news came from the camp yesterday (Jan. 9, 2025): “We are sad to say that our friend and band mate, Joel Metzger passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday. Joel played drums on the My Life is Green 7” and the Beside This Brief Hexagonal album as well as playing with Damien Jurado on a few of his projects. He went on to become an amazing barber / hair stylist, eventually opening his own barber shop.… Continued →

In the decade of the 2000s, there was an explosion of Christian metal bands in Brazil. For quite a while, it looked like that country, and the whole of South America, was set to completely take over Christian metal. And there were quality bands in all subgenres too from melodic metal to the extreme styles of thrash, black, and death metal. Skymetal formed in 1996 in Uberlandia, in the region of Minas Gerais, not too far away from fellow death metallers Krig, from Belo Horizonte in the same region.… Continued →

This synth-pop powerhouse hailed from New Mexico, and was spearheaded by Joey Belville. They debuted in 1994 with a light, upbeat, joyful and relatively simplistic take on synth-pop with the aptly-titled Defend Your Joy. Produced by Ronnie Martin (Joy Electric, etc.), the album oozed of positivity and an almost naive optimism. And yet, it never came off as cheesy, disingenuous, or otherwise off-putting. In fact, I think the title track is a great song to kick off a new year with. I don’t know what your 2024 was like–joyful, sorrowful, challenging, rewarding, or something else–but a focus on the joy of the Lord is always appropriate.… Continued →

When Applehead surfaced, sole member Greg Minier had already cut his teeth as axe-slinger in highly respected crossover thrash outfit The Crucified, and put out a one-off EP (as a solo project) of more straight-forward thrash under the simply-named Minier. Just as The Crucified was ending, the guitarist changed directions considerably and recorded a full-length album of grunge/alternative metal under the band name Applehead. In fact, the project’s debut album Meaning was one of the most authentic attempts at grunge in the Christian market. The album hit hard not only musically but lyrically as well, tackling subjects like alcohol abuse, struggles with sin, devotional inconsistency, and as the album title suggested, the search for meaning in life found via hope in the Creator.… Continued →

We don’t often post guest stories/reviews, but when we had the chance to get veteran writer Brian A. Smith (you might recognize his name from The Phantom Tollbooth), we had to jump at it! Brian offers his thoughts on Good Saint Nathanael’s new album I Write the Songs I Need, released earlier this year. ———————————— Nate Allen has performed in various bands under various names. Some of his songs would be considered quirky, weird, silly, and insightful. Good Saint Nathanael is different. Hide No Truth, the first record under the Good Saint name, wrecked me emotionally.… Continued →

With Christmas being right around the corner, you know what time it is! It’s time for our annual Christmas-oriented Song of the Day entry. With a plethora of punk, indie, and even metal Christmas tunes (seriously, there’s way more than you might expect!) to choose from, it can be a daunting task. I like to choose tunes that are thoughtful, yet playful. Fun, yet reverent. I can’t think of a Christmas tune that fits that description much better than the ska/pop-punk stylings of Flight 180’s “O Come All Ye Faithful” (incidentally also my favorite Christmas song).… Continued →

This is a very unusual release, and I mean that in the best way possible. If you don’t know, Hrada is the brainchild of Peter Espevoll, formerly of Extol. So Hrada sounds like Extol, right? Not at all. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Well, kind of. Do we have excellent instrumentation, exquisite arrangements, and segues that make your head spin a little? Sure. The two projects have that in common. On Mirrorland, there are also themes of faith, doubt, and some very deep questions and societal critiques that wouldn’t be too out of place on an Extol album.… Continued →

After vocalist Bill Walden left 4th Watch in 1987, he had no plans to pursue any other music. (For context, the recognizable crooner had also been the early singer for Undercover.) So, when The Mirrors (formerly Malcolm & the Mirrors) came asking Bill to join them, and then asked again, he was reluctant and uninterested. However, providence prevailed and it turned out to be a great move both for the band and for Walden himself. The band was definitely on the ministry side of things. In fact, three of the band members became pastors.… Continued →

J.C. Crew was a hip-hop trio that was a one-and-done situation. They released Serious Bizness on Pakaderm/Word (with mainstream distribution through Epic) in 1991, and then more or less disappeared. Nevertheless, there are a few notable things about the project. The album features a danceable, funky style of hip-hop that was common at the time, meant to rock the party. However, the rapping was actually quite good too. One of the members, Maximillian later released album Deeper than Most through N-Soul in 1997, after a season with T-Bone’s Organized Rhyme Crew.… Continued →

Doulos – Birth Pains This band was my big surprise hit at Audiofeed Festival last summer. Sure, I’d heard the name for several years and probably sampled a track or two online, but I’d never fully experienced the band until that live set in a hot tent in July. They blew me away with their energy and riffs galore. Lots of tempo changes, fast parts, mosh parts, exactly as hardcore should be! And so, while I was excited to review this album, my excitement also come with some degree of trepidation.… Continued →

Elgibbor began as a solo project of Jarek (AKA “Fire,” also of Fire Throne) from Poland in 1999. Other band members have come and gone, and Jarek has since relocated to the United States. The outfit is incredibly prolific, having released 15 full-length albums since its inception, not to mention singles, EPs and other releases. The band’s name is taken from a Hebrew name for God, meaning “God Almighty.” An interesting approach is taken by the band in that each album features a slightly different take on the black metal genre.… Continued →

I wasn’t sure what to make of this band the first time I heard them. It was heavy, metallic hardcore, created in the era just before full-blown metalcore had become a thing. And the vocals were unlike anything I’d ever heard in hardcore before. The band hailed from southern California and were only active for a couple of years in the late 90s. They released a pair of demos, before releasing a devastating 4-song EP for fledgling Solid State Records, then-brand new sub-label of Tooth & Nail focusing exclusively on hardcore and metal.… Continued →

Gable Price, frontman of the band Gable Price and Friends is featured this week on The Rumors Are True podcast. Known for blending introspective lyrics with a bold, genre-defying sound, Gable dives into the stories behind his music, the journey of starting a band, and the unexpected moments that have shaped his career. The band is known for blending rock, indie, and alternative sounds with lyrical depth that often explores faith, personal reflection, and life’s complexities. Fronted by Gable Price, the group has gained attention for their energetic style, introspective lyrics, and unique approach to discussing themes of spirituality without being overly preachy.… Continued →

This folk/alternative/roots supergroup emerged in the early 90s as prominent members of four huge Christian bands came together in a new way altogether. Michael Roe of the Seventy Sevens, Terry Scott Taylor of Daniel Amos, Gene Eugene of Adam Again, and Derri Daugherty of the Choir joined their songwriting, playing, and singing skills and released the brilliant debut Scenic Routes in 1992. The album was an amalgamation of all things Americana: folk, country, gospel, bluegrass, blues, and rock and roll all coming together with an alternative tinge.… Continued →

‘Imisi is a reggae duo spearheaded by brothers David Fohe and Jubilee Fohe. They play in the pop-reggae or “lovers rock” style, but with a worshipful emphasis on the love of God. Imisi’s music was first brought to a wider audience through Mark Mohr’s (of Christafari) label Lion of Zion Entertainment, who released a pair of albums in 2003 and 2006, respectively. They seem to have been active up until at least 2023, releasing more albums–mostly digitally–through their websites at ReverbNation and BigCartel. “God is Love” comes from the 2013 project Riddimtion Project Vol 1 of which I can barely find any info at all.… Continued →

AP2 was the continuation of, or the evolution of the forerunner Argyle Park. The first incarnation of the band recorded one album, Misguided, for R.E.X. Music in 1994, performed only one live performance at Cornerstone Festival in 1995, then broke up shortly after amidst a plethora of controversy in Christian music circles. The bulk of the controversy involved the band not being positive enough or evangelistic enough. While the bands’ members were all known by pseudonymous aliases, it is fairly well-known that the creative forces behind the project were Scott Albert (AKA Dred and Deathwish) of Circle of Dust/Celldweller and childhood friend Chris Martello (AKA Buka), who at the time worked for MTV Sports and was responsible for getting lots of Christian alternative/punk/hardcore bands into MTV programming.… Continued →

One of Christian metal’s most prominent acts during the genre’s Golden Period (roughly 1986-1992), Barren Cross rocked a traditional heavy metal sound, managing to stay both heavy and melodic without ever succumbing to glam on the one hand, or thrash on the other. The band released 4 full-length studio albums, a live album and a handful of singles & EPs before calling it quits in the mid-90s. A pair of compilations appeared in 2007 and 2014, respectively. Members (especially vocalist Mike Lee) have been active in a number of other projects including Barebones, Michael D.R.I.V.E.,… Continued →

Charity Empressa is essentially a solo project of Eric Campuzano (The Prayer Chain, Lassie Foundation, Stranger Kings, ex-Starflyer 59, Cush) with a revolving cast of support and collaborators. While the list of those giving input is lengthy, among them are Troy Daughtery (Hoi Polloi, Duraluxe), Wayne Everett (Prayer Chain, Lassie Foundation, ex-Starflyer 59, solo), Frank Lenz (Fold Zandura, solo, ex-Starflyer 59), Andrew Prickett (Prayer Chain, My Brother’s Mother), Herb Grimaud (the violet burning, Raspberry Jam, Stranger Kings), Josh Hagquist (ex-Dogwood, The Beautiful Mistake), and many others.… Continued →